The Lede

Bankrate.com, Mar. 22, 2019--Natalie CampisiThese increases in LTVs and DTIs are not surprising given that we're in a home-buying environment, especially since home prices are rising much faster than wage growth, says Michael Fratantoni, Mortgage Bankers Association chief economist.

CNBC, Mar. 22, 2019--Diana Olick"The combination of lower rates - especially compared to last spring - and moderating home-price growth improves buyers' purchasing power and will hopefully translate to a somewhat faster pace of home sales than previously expected," said Mike Fratantoni, chief economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Media Planet, Mar. 22, 2019--Ben CarsonHUD Secretary pens op-ed calling on industry and policymakers to improve affordable housing opportunities and spur economic growth.

Bloomberg, Mar. 22, 2019--Christopher MaloneyMortgage securities may perform worse than government bonds in the coming months after the Federal Reserve said it plans to move more of its debt holdings into U.S. Treasuries.

Wall Street Journal, Mar. 22, 2019--Nick Timiraos (subscription)President Trump said Friday he intends to nominate former campaign adviser Stephen Moore to serve on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors.

HousingWire, Mar. 22, 2019--Ben LaneThe lawsuit was filed this week by the state of Pennsylvania, which claims that Bank of America; Barclays Capital; BNP Paribas; Citigroup; Credit Suisse; Deutsche Bank; Deutsche Bank Securities; First Tennessee Bank; FTN Financial Securities; Goldman Sachs; JPMorgan Chase; J.P. Morgan Securities; Merrill Lynch; and UBS Securities conspired to both overcharge and underpay investors on debt bonds issued by Fannie and Freddie between 2009 and 2014.

Pew Charitable Trusts, Mar. 25, 2019--Tim HendersonNearly one-fourth of the nation's most rural counties have seen a sizeable increase this decade in the number of households spending at least half their income on housing.